1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of mechanical transmissions. More particularly, it concerns a transmission which significantly minimizes energy dissipation.
2. The Background Art
Transmission devices are well known in the field of motorized vehicles for converting and transmitting the power generated by an engine to an output shaft. A persisting problem in transmissions, and in most if not all mechanical devices, is the effects of vibration and other reactionary forces which result in energy dissipation.
It is well known in the field of physics that a single isolated force is an impossibility--any single force is only one aspect of a mutual interaction between two bodies. When a first body exerts a force on a second body, the second body always exerts an equal and opposite "reaction" force on the first body. In mechanical transmissions, the gear box and other stabilizing structure provide the eventual reaction force, in response to the engine force, necessary to hold the gears together and maintain them in meshing engagement. Such stabilizing structure must often absorb large amounts of energy, much of which is released in the form of vibrational movement, heat and sound. The repeated jarring and shaking of the vibrational movement weakens the structure and its various interconnections, and the heating/cooling cycle weakens the material. Of current interest is an improved transmission which minimizes energy dissipation and the accompanying vibration, heat and sound.